By Christmas. The Robinson house. The full operation. Mama and I as co-chefs, the kitchen choreography now so smooth that a stranger would think we had rehearsed it, but we have not rehearsed — we have lived it, which is better than rehearsal because living includes the mistakes and the adjustments and the knowing that comes from having burned the biscuits once in 2019 and never again.
Christmas Eve at MawMaw Shirley's. The étouffée — my étouffée, the fourth year. MawMaw Shirley sat in her chair with the cotton gloves and the coffee and the particular stillness of a woman who has passed the cooking to someone else and is learning to receive instead of produce. The receiving is harder for her than the producing. She has produced for sixty years. Receiving is new. Receiving requires trust, and trust requires the belief that the person cooking will do it right, and she believes I will do it right because she taught me and she trusts her teaching the way she trusts her cast iron pot: absolutely, because both were made to last.
Jalen is two. He ran through MawMaw Shirley's kitchen on unsteady legs, touching everything, and MawMaw Shirley watched him with the expression she reserves for the youngest generation: wonder and worry, mixed, the face of a great-grandmother who knows that this child will grow into a world she will not see and who wants to feed him before he gets there. She gave him a biscuit. He ate it with both hands. She said, "He eats like a Robinson." The highest compliment.
Jamal was there this year — drove from Houston, the full twelve hours, because Mama had said, in a voice that was not a request, "Christmas is at my house this year and everyone is coming." When Tanya Robinson uses that voice, geography is irrelevant. Distance is irrelevant. You come. Jamal came. Brittany came. Jalen came. The house was full. The table was full. The prayer was nine minutes. MawMaw Shirley named everyone, living and dead, and the naming was the Christmas, and the Christmas was the family, and the family was the reason for everything I do.
The étouffée is the centerpiece — it always is — but what makes a Christmas spread a spread is everything around it, and this is the dish I bring when I need a side that holds its own beside MawMaw Shirley’s cooking without trying to compete with it. The coconut and bourbon together taste like warmth and celebration, which is exactly what that kitchen smelled like when Jalen was running circles and the prayer was going on nine minutes and every person Mama summoned had actually come. Something sweet and rich belongs on that table. Something that tastes like it was made for a reason.
Coconut Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes (about 4 large), peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Boil the sweet potatoes. Place cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 18–22 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain well.
- Toast the coconut. While the potatoes cook, spread shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently for 3–4 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Make the bourbon base. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk, bourbon, butter, and brown sugar. Stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Do not boil.
- Mash and combine. Transfer drained sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Pour the warm bourbon-coconut mixture over them and mash until smooth and creamy. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
- Transfer and top. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Scatter toasted coconut and pecans evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until heated through and the topping is fragrant and lightly caramelized. Serve warm directly from the dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 115mg